The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-03-03
Tools VS.. Deceivers.

Coiumnd anu udSDliyluS It's mtdH-
ing so as to make 1T seem foolish,
and then after showing to its own
intense satisfaction that the writer
and the writing were idiotic, it
sought to deduce from it that Gov.
Taylor is a weak and vasciilatlng
man, easily imposed upon and hand
led by designing men.
The very reason that prompts
the American to its assaults upon
the governor dlsproves the silly
charge that Gov. Taylor is a plant
fool. He declined to be handled by
the American.
But Gov. Taylor needs no de-
tense when an upstart calls him
fool. The Americans article last
week was so monstrously ridiculous
that we did not think it worth
while to notice the point it sought
to make. Saturday, however, it re-
iterated the point, and it is such a
wanton aud unwarranted misin ter
probation of our meaning and such
gross and far-fetched attempt to
bring the governor into ridicule, un-
der color of truth, that we are con-
strained to treat it seriously.
The CITIZEN Two weeks ago as
signed as one of the reasons why
Gov. Taylor opposed the Blair bill
that he had been taught by the
American to believe there was no
surplus and that it deceived him.
Now the American, in q kind of ar
rogant, selflaudatory, conceited
vein, seeks to belittle him in ridl-
culing the idea of an eX-congress-
man, ex elector and pl ofessed states
man knowing so little about politics
and current common events that he
could be deceived and misled by a
newspaper upon one of the most
important questions of the day.
We are frank to admit that it
does involve question of idiocy to
say that man of ordinary intelli-
gence could be misled by the Amer
lean. We perhaps put it too strong
ly, too, when we said that Gov. Tay-
lor was deceived by the American.
We ought to have been more pre-
else to state the exact thought that
was in mind and which is apparent
upon the face of the arguu ent we
used and upon the facts as they ex-
list, that the American sought to de-
ceive Gov. Taylor in the canvass on
this question Of surplus. 1t was
not its fault that the rank interpre-
tation it puts upon our language is
not literally true. 1t sought sedu-
lousy to mislead and did mislead
hundreds of democrats through the
country who have been used to look
ing to the American for truthful
exposition of democratic principles.
People have learned to look to
the daily press for truthful state
ments of news items and it is no
discredit to the wisest man to say
that he was imposed upon by de-
signing paper. The American did
conceal and distort the facts with
respect to the surplus resolution.
Hundreds of men believe to this
day that the resolution which pass
ed congress requiring the surplus to
be applied to the payment of the
debt was signed by the president
and is Q law. They relied for in
formation on such matters upon the
daily papers. Gov. Taylor did not
haye access to the regular congress
sional records and other reliable
sources of information while he
was going through the hills and he
could very easily be stuffed with
false information. We do not know
that he believed or disbelieved, was
led or misled, by the Americans
misstatements, but we do know
that the American sought to cover
up the fact that the resolution new
er became law, or that it was ST.
lent and allowed people to believe
that it was signed by the president
and vas in force and that it did
provide perem ptorily for the dlspo-
sition of the surplus. And We
know that it covered up or failed to
let it be known that the surplus
was more than sufficient to pay all
the bonds due.
We do not know who deceived
and misled the Hon. Jno. F. House,
but we do know that he was decelv-
ed and misled, or else he malicious.
Iy misstated the facts in saying all
over Tennessee that congress had
disposed of the surplus. The
American, the leading newspaper in
Tennessee, persisten thy taught this
untruth, or failed to correct it, pre-
tending to be a newspaper, and now
it comes and holds that MAD is a
fool who believes what it printed.
We expect Gov. Taylor did give
too much heed to the American.
He found finally that it was a snake
coiling itself about him and he had
the manhood to throw it of. 1t
professed to be his friend and it
coddled and praised him until it
worked itself into the insane belief
that it was the sole proprietor of
the democratic party and owned the
governor, and the acme of its pre-
sumptuousness was reached when
its editor said to a certain demo
crat:
Bob Taylor does not dare make
an appointment without consulting
men
The conceited aosUsdity of this
statement is only equalled by the
idiotic stupidity that characterizes
its attempt to reap an advantage
from its own wrong. If Gov. lay
Tor and Col. House and Coy. Marks
were deceived it was because they
relied upon q professedly truthful
newspaper to print reliable facts.
Whether Gov. Taylor's actions and
opinions were influenced by the
misstatements and mal-information
studiedly and persistently made In
its columns we cannot say. 1t
would be no discredit to his sense
or his integrity to say so, but it is
the height of mendacity in the pa-
per that did seek to mislead and
misinform him and others to come
now and charge him with being a
plant tool and a miserable fool